Todd Solondz

Todd Solondz can’t wait to get to Chicago, the next stop on the promotional tour for his challenging new drama, Life During Wartime.

Unfamiliar with Mark Twain’s appraisal of the City by the Bay's seasonal chill factor – “The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco” – Solondz, a New Jersey native, craves heat and humidity. But lounging in a climate-controlled suite at the Prescott Hotel, the 49-year-old director seems to have found his comfort zone.

With the second-ever Athiest Film Festival arriving at the Red Vic and the Sausalito Film Festival celebrating its opening night with the regional premiere of Ryan Piers Williams' The Dry Land, Bay Area cinephiles might find their dance cards full this Friday – and the rest of the week seems just as promising. As always, here's a list of some of the finest films currently playing at an indie theater near you.